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Feb. 28th, 2015 06:41 amI am looking at this recipe. I think this will require visiting 3 different stores... Well, there's a HUGE Pakistani grocery store on Moody Street in Waltham, which might have everything. But Waltham is out of my way. More convenient, I think, to go to Central Square in Cambridge, where there is an Indian shop, an H-Mart, and a small Whole Foods Market within a few blocks.
The Indian shop, of course, for besan. Also, maybe, just maybe, they will have some kinds of green chili paste and ginger paste in jars. I will see if there's some kind of pickled green chilis in jars that reminds me of how the dholka at our favored sweet shop was garnished. And, of course, turmeric (if I don't have any) and mustard seeds (ditto). I am not going to buy Eno; the recipe lists baking soda as a substitute. Because when the hell would I ever use Eno again?
By "curd" they mean plain yoghurt. It seems to be key to the fermentation of the batter. As such I'm sure modern American plain yoghurt won't do quite right. Probably this recipe was developed with some subcontinent woman's home-made yoghurt. There's one brand of yoghurt which seemed much more authentic, so I shall go to WFM to try to find it. Also they will have fresh ginger and fresh green chilis, I'm sure, if I need to grind the paste myself, and coriander.
I have no freakin' idea where to find curry leaves, but the H-Mart in Burlington, at least, had a big variety of weird Asian produce. I haven't been to the H-Mart in Cambridge yet, don't know if they do also. Also if it's not a factor in east Asian cooking, perhaps they wouldn't have it. Oh well, I had been meaning to check out the new H-Mart anyway at some point, this is just an excuse. And if I don't find curry leaves in my travels, perhaps I will find some other kind of leaves with a bright spicy flavor to substitute, or just skip it. Either way, the result is about equally likely to turn out to be food.
I bought a cake pan yesterday, and I have figured out how I am going to steam it (it fits in the BIG pot, and metal cookie-cutters underneath will keep it above water). But, no promises that this will actually work, nor that I will fit it into my day, not with the complicated shopping and the 4 hours of fermentation. Although this recipe, while nearly the same, calls for only 2 hours, so probably I'll skimp...
Also I should get the ingredients for mint-coriander chutney, because that sounds like the perfect thing, yum. Also need batteries for the kitchen scale! Because the recipes, sensibly, give the measurement in grams, not by volume. No promises that I will pull this all off, no, not at all...
The Indian shop, of course, for besan. Also, maybe, just maybe, they will have some kinds of green chili paste and ginger paste in jars. I will see if there's some kind of pickled green chilis in jars that reminds me of how the dholka at our favored sweet shop was garnished. And, of course, turmeric (if I don't have any) and mustard seeds (ditto). I am not going to buy Eno; the recipe lists baking soda as a substitute. Because when the hell would I ever use Eno again?
By "curd" they mean plain yoghurt. It seems to be key to the fermentation of the batter. As such I'm sure modern American plain yoghurt won't do quite right. Probably this recipe was developed with some subcontinent woman's home-made yoghurt. There's one brand of yoghurt which seemed much more authentic, so I shall go to WFM to try to find it. Also they will have fresh ginger and fresh green chilis, I'm sure, if I need to grind the paste myself, and coriander.
I have no freakin' idea where to find curry leaves, but the H-Mart in Burlington, at least, had a big variety of weird Asian produce. I haven't been to the H-Mart in Cambridge yet, don't know if they do also. Also if it's not a factor in east Asian cooking, perhaps they wouldn't have it. Oh well, I had been meaning to check out the new H-Mart anyway at some point, this is just an excuse. And if I don't find curry leaves in my travels, perhaps I will find some other kind of leaves with a bright spicy flavor to substitute, or just skip it. Either way, the result is about equally likely to turn out to be food.
I bought a cake pan yesterday, and I have figured out how I am going to steam it (it fits in the BIG pot, and metal cookie-cutters underneath will keep it above water). But, no promises that this will actually work, nor that I will fit it into my day, not with the complicated shopping and the 4 hours of fermentation. Although this recipe, while nearly the same, calls for only 2 hours, so probably I'll skimp...
Also I should get the ingredients for mint-coriander chutney, because that sounds like the perfect thing, yum. Also need batteries for the kitchen scale! Because the recipes, sensibly, give the measurement in grams, not by volume. No promises that I will pull this all off, no, not at all...
